Wildes Bar: Innocence and Lust at Twilight

Welcome to my regular morning conundrum. I look through our pictures from the day prior and wonder how I can possibly convey the overall impression of it. I'm going to accept defeat this morning and just say that I can't. At best, I'll write two posts this morning to whet your appetite. This first post is dedicated to the Q Bar betches in San Francisco and I'll do another post later about Crane Bar.

Wildes Bar, named after Oscar Wilde (1854-1900, Picture of Dorian Gray,The Important of Being Earnest), has been calling to us since we got here. The locals say that the weeknights are really more for our female counterparts. One colorful comment from yesterday: "Why is that bar full of bouncers?" "Those aren't bouncers..." You get the idea.

Here's a recent blurb from the Facebook page.

Pride Factor Final - Thursday 31st of May from 9pm Wildes Bar Galway! All proceeds to Galway Community Pride!

Finalists for pride factor are: Steven Sharpe, Joann McCormack, Iain Bohan, Mikey Walsh, Kevin Griffin, Nicky Lawless, Alan Greaney, Johnny Garvey and Keith Brennan! Come down and show your support for them all!

We didn't have much of a goal in being at Wildes, except to seek out a bit of comedic graffiti that we were told was there. The graffiti wasn't there, but I think we lucked out in the sense that we were able to see the beginning of a Pride event. The gathering crowd was noticeably young, which is really the heart of any Pride event if you ask me. We watched the young ones do the sound tests for the talent competition that would be later. It's a bit much to put in a large sound system in such a small place, but I think this ultimately added to the sense of community.

We didn't stay for the competition. I had a 'Smithicks' (for you, Monet). Andrew had a Heineken and we went upstairs to shoot some pool. Andrew won, of course, but we're bound to have a rematch sooner or later.



Why aren't I gushing yet? I think it's my own reservedness, my own lament of lost youth, that's preventing me from claiming the value of this little community pub. But if I connect with my inner 16 year old for a moment, I have to say that this little pub is a gold-mine. Sure the ventilation is lacking, and everyone smokes at the front door, and you might not want to stroll in with a full face of makeup, but even on a slow Thursday night, I saw enough inspired beauty to feel the pangs of homosexual yearning, innocent and dark desires stirring just beneath the surface. As we finished up our pool game, I saw a pair of jeans and manly hips ascend the stairs, the heels of black stilettos spiking into the stairwell. Am I too easily impressed by the simmering determination here? My readers are probably too old and jaded to remember those sorts of feelings, but I'm happy to report that others have kept the tradition going.

Dave - this is a private note to you: show us the other side!


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Location:Wildes Bar Galway (formerly Strano's)